Torpedo-guard.



J, 0. McINTOSH.

TOHPEDU GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED was 1:. m I.

1,296,543, Patented Mar. 4,1919.

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TORPEDO GUARD. APPLICATION FILED was 11, 1912.

Patenwd Mar. 4, 1919.

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a vessel, showing JAMES OTIS MOINTOBH, OF MILFORD, UTAH.

TOBPEDO-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

Application filed June 11, 1917. Serial No. 174,035.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES OTIs MGINTOSH, a citizen of the United States, residin at Milford, in the county of Beaver and tate of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Torpedo-Guards, of which t e following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in torpedo guards, and has for its primary object the provision of simple and efi'ective means for the protecting of ships at sea from contact with mines or torpedoes.

Supplemental objects of the invention are to provide a device that will present an absolute barrier against tor does aimed at either side of a vessel, and, wit out any a preciable impairment to the progress or e ciency of the ship in its travel. Also, to provide a tie vice composed of units operable independently, and which are so disposed and arranged as to permit them to accommodate themselves to existing current conditions, and us offer the minimum of resistance to the progress of the ship equipped with the guard or protector. T

Another important object of the present invention is to provide means for the towing of the uard units in such manner as to relieve t e supports of the units from all stresses and strains of the towing; also to rovide submer 'ng and steadying-means or the guard units during their travel.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter moreispecifically described, and then particularly claimed, and in describin the invention inrdetailyrefeb en'ce will be ad to the accompanying drawing's illustrative" of an embodiment of the principles involved, it being-understood, that :theshoiving in many particulars. is but illus- 'trative, 8111)]8611130 changes, modifications and alterations to suit existing conditions, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. V I

i In the accompanying drawings:

: Figure :1 is a View in side eevatlon of a torpedo guard in accordance with this 'invention, showing the same applied toe-vessel,

and-in the lowered or operative position,

Fig. 2 is a view top plan of a portion of the disposition of the guard units withrespect. to the hull thereof,

Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation of a portion of a vessel, also showing the disposition of the guard with respect thereto, the guard being in lowered or operative position,

F 1g. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but with the guard raised to its folded or inoperative posltlon,

Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective, and upon a larger scale, showing one of the main booms and one of the brace booms, together with a portion of one of the fender or guard un1t s, and a portion of the vessel hull,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in side elevation of a portion of one of the fender or guard units, and,

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the same, taken on line VIIVII of Fig. 6.

The invention broadly consists in the pro vision of and construction of the fenders or guard units, and in the towing of the same from a forward-boom at the bow of the vessel, and various means may be employed in connection with other features entering into the use of the invention, such as the means for raising and lowering the uard units or fenders, the specific means or connecting the booms with the vessel, etc., as these will depend upon conditions existing where the installation ismade.

To put the invention into practice, a towing-boom 10 is provided, here illustrated as carried by the vessel at the bow thereof, and projecting forwardly of the ships how a desired distance. This towing-boom may be anchored and braced as conditions require, its length and disposition also depending upon existing conditions. By means of towlines, connected with the boom, and with the foremost fender or guard unit, the strain of towin the fenders through the water is broug t upon this boom.

The fender or guard units designated generall by the reference numeral 11, are dispose with respect to the side of the vessel in what may be termed a stepped arrangement, the adjacent ends of two fenders or 1guard units being ofl'set from each other, as

est seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings, this he'- ing accomplished, by making the booms employed for holding the fenders or guard units away from the side of the ship, of different lengths.

As stated, the fenders or guard-units are held in extended position or spaced relation with res ect to the side of the vessel 12 by means 0 side-booms the illustration showing the employment of two booms for each tender or guard unit, the forward sideboom 14 of each fender, while being of similar construction, being shorter than the rear side-boom 15 of each fender, so that the fenders are given the desired disposition with respect to the vessels sides.

These side-booms 14, 15 are suitably hinged or jointed to the sides of the vessel. The form of the connection with the vessel is immaterial, so long as it permits of the booms being swung from raised or inoperative position to lowered or operative position, in which. latter position the booms are extending outwardly from the sides of the vessel in a substantially horizontal "plane. As here shown, each boom 14 and 15 has its inner end pivoted as at 16 in lugs carried by a bracket 17 attached to the vessel side, the boom being arrested in its downward movement and held in the horizontal position by a finger 18 that engages thebracket 17, such finger however not interfering in any manner with the upward swinging movement of the boom.

Means as shown at 19 is provided at the outer end of each boom to receive the supporting cable 20 which carries the fenders or guardauiits 11, which extend to the deck of the vessel, where they are designed to be wound upon or unwound from winches 21 or a shaft or drum or other device as may be found most desirable. Where the supporting cables are attached at their outer ends to the fenders or guard units 11, a reinforcementmay be provided if found neces sary, as best seen at 22 in Fig. 5.

Each side-boom 14, 15 is held against side strain when the same are in operative position by abrace-boom 23 having a looses'joint connection 24 at its outer end with boom 14 or 15 as the case may be, and at its inner end having a loose-joint connection 25 with a bracket 26 similar in construction to the bracket 17. The inannerin which the booms 23 are connected to the booms 14, 15, will, it will be observed, not interfere with the swinging movement of the booms 14, 15 from raised to lowered position or'vice versa.

In order to steady the fenders or guard units during travel, and maintain submergence thereof, I provide each fender or guard unit with one or more stead-ying and sub merging flanges 27. As here shown, I have provided one :of these flanges on each side of the fender located adjacent the lower edge thereof, and at the forward end, the angularly projecting leg of the flange being inclined downwardly and forwardly so as to act to maintain submergenee was the fender is drawn through the water.

As heretofore stated, the fenders or guard units are towed from the boom 10. This is accomplished by attaching one or more tow lines or cables 28 to the boom and to the connection 22 with the foremost fender 11.

Tow lines or cables 29 for the succeeding fenders are attached to the connections 2% of the booms and 22 of the fenders respecti'vely.

It will be observed that the cables 20 perform only the function of supporting the fenders, and raising and lowering the same, and are not employed in connection with the towing of the fenders, this function being performed by the cables or tow lines 28, 29.

his arrangement provides for adjustability of the fenders, or in other words, allows'the fenders to adjust or accommodate themselves to the current existing, instead of conforming at all times to the exact course of the vessel. In order to maintain the travel of the fenders at a uniform IeveL-notwithstandingany rocking motion of the yessel, it is contemplated that the cables 20 shall be of material sufficiently elastic :to provide for such travel. The subinerging flange or flanges in their action will tend to ballast the fenders and steady them against side action of waves and to keep the same steady in their course through the water.

I do not desire to be understood as confining myself to each fender being operated independently, as obviously they may be operated in unison, either on one side alone. or on both sides of the vessel.

I wish also to call attention to the fact that by my arrangement I provide for counteracting the effect of strong side currents against the fenders or guard units. It will be observed that the forward end of each fender is held practically fixed in one position at agiven distance from the sideof the vessel, on accountof the connection with the fender, at or near said forward endyof two different or separate cables that are fast at their other ends to holdings which are in entirely dilferent' localities, whereas the rear end of each fender is p1 actically free to accommodate itself to all side wave or current action. Obviously, therefore, should there be a stron side current against the outside of the fenders, the latter, being hung from a singlecable which "is flexible, the fenders my swing with the connections of the "towing lines as a pivot so that the stepped or staggeredosition shown may bepracticall reverse but with the rear ends of-the ten are still held a suflicient distance'away from the side of the vessel. All possible freedom is therefore provided for the rear ends of the fenders so the fender-s imay"follow instead of being forced or c'anried through the water. Dueto this principle of suspending and towing the ifenders I avoid any impounding or imprisoning' of 'bodiesof water between the fenders and the sides of the vessel which would result from holding each end of the fender at. a uniform distance from the sidesof the ship.

Obviously, many details of construction may be altered in installation of the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as herein illustrated and described.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new is:

1. The combination with a vessel having a towing boom at the bow thereof, of a plurality of guard fenders disposed in tandem formation along the side of the vessel, flexible supporting means for each fender attached to each fender at spaced points, near each end thereof, spacing booms engaging the flexible supports for ho ding the fenders spaced away from the sides of the vessel, a main tow line attached to the towing boom and to the forward fender of the series adjacent the forward end of said fender, and auxiliary tow lines connecting each succeeding fender with one of the spacing booms of the adjacent preceding fender.

2. The combination with a vessel having a towing-boom projecting forwardly from the bow thereof and spacing booms pivotally attached to the sides of the vessel and projecting outwardly therefrom, of a plurality of guard fenders arranged in tandem formation along the side of the vessel below the water line thereof, flexible supporting means attached to said fenders adjacent each end thereof and engaged by said spacing boom, the forward spacing boom of each pair being shorter than the rear spacing boom to hold the forward ends of the fenders closer to the sides of the vessel than the rear ends of the fenders, a tow line attached to the towing boom and to the front fender of the series, and auxiliary tow lines attached to the forward spacing boom of each fender and to the succeeding fenders, each fender being towed from a point adjacent its point of support for the forward end and being relatively free to swing laterally at its rear end.

3. The combination with a vessel, of a guard fender arranged at the side of the vessel, flexible supporting means attached to the fender adjacent the forward and rear ends thereof, means attached to the vessel and engaging the supporting means to hold the guard fender suspended in spaced relation to the vessel, a towi line attached to the forward end of the fen er at the point where the support for the forward end is attached and being wholly independent of the supports for the fender, the fender being relatively free to swing laterally at its rear end.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES OTIS MGINTOSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

